


in which peri is not prepared for all the cat fur

by sixth_dr_whomst



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Doctor (Doctor Who), also nb doctor will not show up for a bit but i swear they’re nb, i mean they always were but, peri is doing her best god bless her, six is now a cat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-13 04:03:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14741654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixth_dr_whomst/pseuds/sixth_dr_whomst
Summary: peri returns from vacation at lanzarote to a new cat and a new apartment. unfortunately, this cat is an asshole. and also maybe not entirely a cat. generic supernatural AU where six is a werecat/eldritch cat creature and peri is just trying to survive life, college, and her step-father's bullshit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a requested fic. will be updated amidst all of my other stuff, so keep checking back!

“Lisa, I don’t have room.”

Perpuguilliam’s friend frowns at her. “Yes you do. You’re moving out of your dorms in two weeks. You’ll have plenty of room. And, your new apartments are cat-friendly. Trust me, I did my research.”

“Should I feel threatened?” Peri asks dryly, raising an eyebrow. Lisa frowns, and Peri softens slightly. “I’m joking. But seriously, I- I’m not sure I’d be your best choice. Come on, you’ve got tons of other people you could ask!”

“And I’ve asked them all!” She gives Peri her best, most effective puppy dog eyes. “Periiiiii...he’s a sweetheart. Really. He’s just...a little... _standoffish_. And he’s getting on the older side, and no one else wants to adopt him, and we won’t have anywhere for him to go soon.”

“And you can’t adopt him because you’ve already adopted too many dogs?”

Lisa nods, and Peri groans. “Lise, I’d- I mean- I’m going to Lanzarote soon, remember? As part of _The Deal_?”

Lisa’s face loses its joy, and she grumbles under her breath, “I still don’t get how that’s _payment-_ ”

“And then he was gonna make me go with him to that conference- look. If you can take care of him until next semester, then I’ll take him in. Deal?”

Lisa doesn’t even bother returning her handshake, she just slams into Peri and hugs her, lifting her slightly off the ground. “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!”

Peri laughs slightly. “Okay, okay, put me down!”

* * *

She closes the door as calmly as she can, and then stops. So much happened. Far too much to think about at the moment. For now, all she has to do is unpack her boxes and make sure she has a bed for tonight.

She’s barely opened a single box when someone knocks at the door again. Checking the time, she curses under her breath. She forgot Lisa was gonna be here with the cat at noon.

Lisa knocks more insistently. “Peri, hurry up, he’s kinda heavy!”

Even from the other side of the door, Peri can hear the indignant _mrrowl_. She opens the door quickly, and Lisa grins from under several large bags. “Hey there! How was Lanzarote?”

Peri puts on a quick fake grin. “Great! Very pretty.”

“Great? Even with Howard?” Lisa raises an eyebrow.

“Yeahhh, I was hoping to forget he was around.” Peri lies, and Lisa nods.

“Good strategy. Can I come set him down?”

“Oh, y- yeah! Sorry.”

Peri steps aside, and Lisa heads into the apartment, setting the cat carrier down on a counter. As she closes the door again, Lisa says, “His name’s Michael.” Said cat meows loudly again, and Peri swears he narrows his eyes at her suspiciously. She narrows her eyes right back.

“So, what’s with all the bags too? Planning on going somewhere?”

“No, I just- figured that since you’re doing this for me, the least I can do is bring over supplies. Plus, I don’t think Michael would appreciate being separated from his post.”

She sets down the most obtrusive bag and pulls out the tall cat scratching post from it. Michael’s tail swishes impatiently, and Lisa grins. She opens the carrier door, and pulls Michael out. He’s a particularly large, particularly fluffy cat, with blonde fur and a disgruntled expression as he looks around the apartment. His tail continues to swish jerkily, and Lisa sets him down to wander around the apartment. Peri watches as he sniffs at the boxes, rubbing his face against them, then turning to look at the next one.

“So? You never mentioned what breed he is.”

“He’s a Siberian. Sorry, he’s...going to shed a lot. Which is why I got you this!”

From another bag, Lisa pulls out an industrial pack of lint rollers. Peri’s heart sinks. She should _not_ have made this deal.

“Oh...goody.” She says aloud, and sighs through a smile.

Michael rubs against her ankles, and meows at her. She meows right back at him, and he gives her an offended look. He swishes his tail again and wanders away from her. Lisa chuckles. “Honestly, he’s one of the most talkative Siberians I’ve ever met.”

As if he understood they were talking about him, Michael lets out another loud _mrrrow_ , annoyed. Peri shakes her head. “Great. Thanks for letting me know.”

Lisa gives an apologetic smile, but keeps taking stuff out of her bags. “Okay, so, he’s _technically_ both an indoor and outdoor cat, but he doesn't go very far. He tends to stick around his home, at least, from what other people have said. He’s pretty well-mannered, he’s not gonna break your stuff much, and he does like to cuddle. This is a food bowl, and the stuff we’ve been feeding him, but you can totally experiment with other stuff. He’s actually allergic to dairy, so don’t do stuff with cheese in it.”

“A cat that’s lactose intolerant? That’s ironic.” Peri grins.

Michael jumps up on the kitchen counter and walks very close to her face. He _mrrowl_ s grumpily. She laughs.

“Anyways, I’ll go set up his litterbox somewhere out of the way.” Lisa says, and grabs another bag entirely and walks away.

Peri sighs for what’s probably the sixteenth time that hour. Michael purrs and rubs his entire body against her face.

She starts to think she’s made a serious mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes. i am a Writer. i make Good Content That Isn't Shitposting About Six Being A Cat In A Human Suit. also uhhh i Hate this formatting, so forgive me if it changes when i get to know ao3 better. edit: fixed formatting. also made sure this was a chapter note as opposed to a work note.


	2. Chapter 2

Time passes as normally as it can when a home is suddenly invaded by a monster made of fur and pettiness. Peri would like to say she adjusted fairly well, but something says the evidence shows otherwise. The cat hair all over her pants certainly show that.

“MRRRROWL!”

Peri jumps back, just registering the fluffy monster underneath her feet. “I’m sorry!” She yells, taking several steps back. Michael bolts away from her, and glares at her from his new spot wedged in the corner inbetween the fridge and a cupboard. She kneels in front of him, reaching a hand out slowly to seem unthreatening. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! I didn’t see you there.”

Michael hisses in response, and starts licking his tail, still watching her cattily (ha). She reaches out to pet him again, and she swears he sticks his tongue out at her. She sticks her tongue out in retaliation.

She stands and goes to open the fridge, hopefully to find milk that hadn’t soured yet. “ _Yes_.” She whispers, putting it out and pumping her fists. No one is going to the store at _this_ ungodly hour of 7 am.

The fridge slams shut, and she jumps again, only to see Michael frowning and wandering his way out of his corner. He glares at her, and she gapes a little. “You slammed the door.”

He sits on the floor, blinking slowly at her. She knows if he were human, he’d be saying something akin to _yes, so?_

“I wasn’t expecting it.”

_And?_

“ _And_ , I-” She stops. Michael’s head tilts. “I’m talking to a cat. A cat which can’t understand me at all.”

Michael meows grumpily, twitching his tail. He stands up and wanders away from her, only to hop up on the counter and paw at the window blinds. “Want those open?” She guesses.

He mrowls again, and she leans over the counter, tugging on the cord to open them. The sunlight is warm, and makes her pause for half a minute. She just stands there, letting it warm her face.

_Her_ face. Her body. Hers.

A body that’s been on a different planet.

She stops, and runs her fingers through her hair. “This is crazy.” She comments, and looks up at Michael. “I should be over it. Right? It was just a- another planet, with two other aliens, and a bigger-on-the-inside spaceship. No big deal!”

Michael purrs, and then stands, lithely wandering off the windowsill to rub against her hand. She starts to pet him quietly. There’s something very calming about his fur, which makes her feel more secure in the now.

She goes back to her body. _Her body. Hers_. Not anyone else’s. No one can take away the peace she’s made with herself.

Michael _mrrp_ s, and nudges her hand. She blinks, and he jumps onto the lower counter and rubs against the milk. “Right.” She says, and goes back to making herself breakfast.

* * *

 

“You’re a really smart cat.You know that, right?”

Michael looks up from where he’s been resting. He gives a soft _mrrp?_ , like a request for information. “See, _see_! Like that!” Peri insists, leaning towards him. “You basically just asked me a question! And you didn’t even use your words! _How do you do it?_ You know exactly what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Michael’s eyes widen. He stands, stretches, and walks off the chair. Entranced, Peri follows him into her bedroom, where he stretches again on her bed. “Ah, I see. You’re just telling me to go to sleep, aren’tcha?”

He blinks innocently. She rolls her eyes and nudges him out the door. “Alright, alright. It is past midnight, I guess.”

Michael mews in a satisfied manner.

* * *

 

_She dreams she’s back there. But this time, she’s been abandoned for real. The Doctor’s left, with Turlough in tow, and all there is is lava. She’s going to die here, she knows she is. There’s no way out. The Master’s laugh echos in her ears, she’s going to die-_

“MRRRROW.”

She jolts, sitting up instinctively. Michael gives a little surprised noise, but continues to peer at her with wide eyes. She doesn’t pause to give it a second thought, just grabs him in a tight hug. For once, he doesn’t fight it, instead purring calmly and rubbing his face against her shoulder.

“Hey, Michael? I’ve been to another planet. I almost died. I met an alien who also had an alien boyfriend, and they took me home. They really do exist. Aliens, that is. And apparently they look like British guys who spent too much time watching cricket.”

Michael _mrrp_ s again, and she swears he moves one of his paws as if he’s hugging her. She buries her face in his fur.

There’s something very peaceful about this moment. The almost complete silence, broken only by those soothing noises she knows from experience. The purring of Michael, the sound of music coming from the apartment next to hers, the gentle ticking noise of her alarm clock. It’s all familiar, all things she knows. There’s just enough sunlight to chase the shadows back from her bed, to _prove_ to her that she is safe, but not so much that she feels blinded.

She’s here. She’s on Earth, going to college at CSU, studying botany. This is her life, and no one is taking it away from her.

Her alarm clock goes off. Both she and Michael jump, him launching off of her and landing on the other side of the room. She groans, and lays back, slapping the alarm clock in annoyance. But she gets up anyways, at least to water her plants.

School starts in two days. God save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case yall haven't noticed, im good at individual scenes. not merging them together. peri is slowly catching on, maybe. she might also just be extremely sleep-deprived. whomst knows ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )


	3. Chapter 3

It isn’t long after she returns from her last class for the week that someone knocks at the door. She frowns, setting down the bowl of cereal she was making, and checks the eyehole. With a soundless groan, she opens it and puts on a fake smile. “Howard!”

“Perpugilliam.” He nods. “How was class?”

“Great!” She lies through her teeth.

There’s a cat-hopping noise behind her, and the noise of a crash. “MICHAEL!” She shouts suddenly, and turns around and bolts towards her cat roommate. She picks him up before he can worm his way back into his hideyhole between the fridge and the wall, and he yowls indignantly. “No, don’t use that tone on me! What did you break?”

“MRRRROW!”

“That was a fake! I tricked you! It’s a plastic plant!”

He looks at her with a frankly hilarious expression of betrayal and surprise. “MROW?!?!??”

“Since when have you had a cat?” Howard asks, folding his arms.

Peri tenses, and Michael feels it. He stops struggling in her arms, and goes still. “Uh...sin- since the semester started. Lisa asked me to adopt him, she couldn’t find anywhere else for him.”

“And you think you can handle him?”

She straightens. “I can, and I have. I’ve been doing just fine with him, I’m not a child.”

He frowns, and takes a step inside. Michael hisses loudly suddenly, making Peri jump. Howard takes another step back, and he stops. Michael adjusts in Peri’s arms, tail twitching in what she’s learned to be a satisfied and somewhat snarky manner. Howard takes another step forward, and he yowls again, rolling back and forth to the point that Peri thinks she might drop him. Howard steps back out.

“I- I dunno what’s up with him today, but I think it might be best if you came back another time.”

He frowns deeper, and takes off his jacket. “Here. Maybe if I leave this here, he’ll get used to my scent. Or, whatever.”

He hands Peri his jacket, and she awkwardly takes it while still cradling Michael. He pauses, as if to try and think of something else to say. Peri takes the chance, and says, “I’ve got homework to do.”

He nods, mumbles, “Of course,” and leaves. Peri closes the door quickly, and lets out a sigh. Michael hops out of her arms.

She raises an eyebrow at him as he paces around in front of her. “So what was that about?” She asks, amused.

He stops, and starts licking his paw cooly. “Oh, come off it.” She scoffs, leaning forward to pet him. “Don’t act all casual. You had something against him, what was it?”

Michael’s only response is to look up innocently for a few moments, give a soft  _ mew _ , and wander away.

* * *

 

She sighs. "Alright. Michael?"

Said cat looks up.

"You're in charge. Don't break anything. And don't, for God's sake,  _ don't _ shred my homework."

He straightens, and raises a paw like a salute. She laughs, and rubs between his ears. He purrs, and then lightly shoves her arm away. She rolls her eyes, and leaves the house. As the lock clicks, she takes a deep breath.

This would be the first time she'd really gotten a chance to sit down and talk to Lisa since school started. And a free meal. All good things this afternoon. All good things and only good things allowed.

Nothing is going to fuck up this day. It's all gonna be chill, cool, and normal.

* * *

 

She comes home to a stranger on her couch.

Said stranger looks up, startled, and opens their mouth, startled. "Peri, I-

She yells, and slams her door shut. Panicking, she clings to the doorknob, trying to not panic too much. There's the sound of footsteps, and then a British voice speaks. "Peri, please, I- I didn't think you were going to be home yet. I'm not a stranger, I didn't break into your house, I swear. It's me, it's Michael. Well, as you called me, I'm Michael, although that isn't my name."

"Michael is a  _ cat _ , you IDIOT! So who are you!?" She yells, hands shaking.

"Peri, on my hearts, I  _ am _ Michael. I've been living with you for four months. About two weeks ago your stepfather came back, and left his jacket because he hoped I would, quote, 'get used to his scent'. Please, Peri, just open the door."

Her grip weakens slightly. Very slowly, while also screaming at herself for being an idiot, she opens the door a crack.

The stranger looks at her, letting a quiet, almost relieved smile cross their face. Their hair is the same blonde as Michael's, although much curlier. She has a suspicion that it's just as thick as his fur. But their eyes - that clinches it. The same undefined color, intelligent and warm. Their smile widens as her jaw drops slightly. "There. See?" They say gently, and open the door a little further.

"H- how?" She asks, clenching her bag strap tighter.

"Well, it's simple, if you understand that not everyone is human."

They start to add some technobabble that Peri knows she'll never understand and never remember, but she reaches out and pats their head, unconsciously petting their hair. They start to purr again, a deep vibration in their chest. Then they seem to realize what they're doing, and remove her hand. Their eyebrows furrow, and she almost laughs. They still act very much like they did as a cat. "So. Did Lisa know? When she left you with me, I mean."

They shake their head. "No, it's rather complicated."

"Too complicated to explain?"

They shrug. She steps past them and sets her bag down.

"Then explain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi hi!!!! im so sorry i haven't been posting much lately, school is a Bitch and im sorta regretting taking two college classes now. anyways !!!! its very overdue but finally - fi n a l l y ! - michael is Revealed.


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